Mike Zacchino | The Oregonian/OregonLive

About Me:

I'm currently the Manager for Photo and Video with the Oregonian, having moved here in 1995 after working for six years with the Los Angeles Times. Originally from San Diego, I now live farther from the ocean than at any time in my life.

Sharon Shakya (CQ),(left), a nurse for Multnomah county gets vaccine for the H1N1 virus from Hai Ta (cq), also a Multnomah county nurse, Wednesday morning at the Multnomah county East County Health Center in Gresham. Known as Live, Attenuated Intranasal Vaccine, the application is sprayed into each nostril. This vaccine was produced in Gaithersburg Maryland. Health workers are the first...

Doses of the H1N1 vaccine will be dispensed to Multnomah County Health workers Wednesday at the Multnomah County East County Health Center in Gresham. Known as, Live, Attenuated Intranasal Vaccine, the application is sprayed into each nostril. This vaccine was produced in Gaithersburg Maryland. Health workers are the first to get the vaccine. Brent Wojahn/The Oregonian

As the 767 pulls away from the gate in Dallas, the crew that managed their departure salutes from the skywalk. On the right is Lt. Col. Patrick McAfee, the commander of the Dallas R&R flight program. Mike Francis/The Oregonian

Prineville’s Rodney Beebe speaks to his wife by cell phone while waiting for his flight. Silver-haired Connie Carman of the Hugging and Kissing Grandmas stands over his shoulder with her back to the camera.

– From left, Rodney Beebe, Matthew Fox and Rod Widows, all members of Oregon’s 41st Brigade, wait in Dallas for the plane that will take them to Kuwait. From there, they will return to their duties at various bases in Iraq.

A Blackhawk helicopter at LZ Washington carries a set of State Department civilians who attended a meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. A squad of Oregon National Guard soldiers driving armored Suburbans provided security for their transportation to and from the embassy.

Staff Sgt. Scott Farber of Hillsboro, a former Special Operations Marine and Army Ranger, leads a 13-person squad of Oregon National Guard soldiers who provide security for high-ranking military officers and civilian dignitaries who visit the International Zone, home to the sprawling U.S. embassy compound. At age 46, he is one of the oldest soldiers in the 41st Brigade's deployment...

From left, Specialist Chris Harlan, 27, of Klamath Falls, Private Ty Benson, 21, of Burns, and Corporal Nick Lynch, 36, of Lebanon remain on standby for the next call for a personal security detail. The squad's office is in a small room on the first floor of one of Saddam's former palaces, which still shows severe damage from the U.S.-led...